Bendix 2013 Brake Training School schedule announced

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake have announced the 2013 schedule for its Bendix Brake Training School, continuing its efforts to support and educate both new and experienced technicians. Bendix opens this year’s training school on Tuesday, March 5, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The schedule offers classes into November, with a total of 26 sessions in 15 U.S. states and Ontario.

Bendix will also conduct the training school on-site at attendee facilities, an option the company has offered since 2010, and which continues to grow in popularity.

Bendix says it has trained more than 10,000 people through the program in 2012, its largest annual class to date. Class participants recorded more than 42,348 training hours, learning from 100 percent ASE-certified Bendix Service, Warranty, and Training (SWAT) team experts. Together, the team members represent more than 195 years of comprehensive, practical commercial vehicle service and troubleshooting experience.

“As safety and braking technologies advance, it is crucial that we continue to equip technicians with the industry’s most up-to-date operational and service knowledge,” said John Reid, Bendix SWAT team manager and a four-decade company veteran. “The Bendix Brake Training School keeps fleets and owner-operators on the leading edge of air and foundation brake system technical information, reducing downtime and service costs. And when commercial vehicles on the road are kept in good working condition, it helps to ensure safety for everyone on the roadways.”

Bendix says its three-day Brake Training School curriculum takes a comprehensive approach to teaching maintenance professionals the description, operation, and service of the entire range of foundation and air brake system components. As the only authorized training in Bendix products and services, the program also offers in-depth coverage of safety solutions such as Bendix brand air disc brakes, antilock braking systems (ABS), SmarTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) by Bendix CVS, stability technologies like Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program full-stability system, and Bendix Wingman Advanced Collision Mitigation Technology.

The Brake Training School’s intensive curriculum LAO details operational system aspects such as the fundamentals of compressed air and tactics for air system failure mode diagnosis and troubleshooting. It also addresses foundation brake and air brake system components, including air compressors, valves, slack adjusters, brake chambers, shoes, and drums.
Additionally, the program covers the commercial vehicle regulatory landscape, including federal Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) regulations, the second phase of which takes effect in August 2013, and the current era of Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA).

The Bendix Brake Training School is one of a growing number of educational options Bendix makes available to vehicle owners and technicians. Additional online options are slated to launch in early 2013.

Class size is limited, and enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. A full schedule may be viewed and registration completed online at www.bendix.com or www.foundationbrakes.com; by phone at
1-800-AIR-BRAKE, option 3; or via fax (216-651-3261).

Jack Roberts is executive editor for CCJ and equipment editor for its sister magazine Overdrive. Roberts joined Randall-Reilly in 1995 as associate editor of Equipment World magazine and began covering both heavy-duty and light trucks in 1996. In 2006 he was the founding editor of Total Landscape Care before joining CCJ's staff in 2008.